The present invention relates generally to methods and systems for monitoring remote facilities having imaging devices. In particular, the present invention relates to remotely monitoring Magnetic Resonance Imaging (“MRI”) facilities to collect data for the American College of Radiology (“ACR”) Accreditation Program.
Accreditation is a process whereby an imaging device operated within a remote facility is certified as meeting the standards set forth by an accreditation agency One such example, is the MRI Accreditation Program of the American College of Radiology (“ACR”). The accreditation process is a multi-component process that requires due diligence on the part of the personnel at the imaging facility to maintain their training, procedures and to maintain the high quality images of their MRI unit. The MRI Accreditation Program evaluates the qualifications of personnel, equipment performance, effectiveness of quality control measures, and quality of clinical images. A facility receiving ACR MRI Accreditation is awarded a three-year certificate of accreditation.
A growing number of health insurers and states (such as the Rhode Island) have begun requiring, MRI imaging facilities to become accredited with ACR to demonstrate to them (and their patients) their commitment to quality control.
The accreditation process for MRI comprise various components which must be completed successfully to receive accreditation. One component is a review of the credentials of physicians, physicists, technologists, personnel and other information common to the practice of MRI (i.e., safety measures, continuing education, or the like). Another component of the accreditation program involves the acquisition and quantification of clinical and phantom images and its corresponding data. Some examples of required clinical images include routine brain, cervical spine, lumbar spine, and knee examinations which have been acquired using specified sequences. The acquisition of phantom images involves the use of a designated MRI phantom. The required clinical and phantom images and corresponding data must be obtained from each full body general purpose magnet at the site of MRI practice. All the information collected and analyzed are then used in the accreditation process. ACR Accreditation will be granted to all participants whose accreditation material meet the criteria set forth by the ACR.
These components are then integrated into a submission package. Once a site is accredited, accreditation is predicated upon the site not undergoing major changes and maintaining a set of quality and operating control procedures. Such procedures require acquisition and maintenance of data on fixed schedules, including daily, monthly, twice-annual maintenance, continuing education of the personnel, and the like. The accreditation agency may visit and audit the site to evaluate the procedures and to determine if ACR procedures are being followed.
The collection, analysis, and documentation of the ongoing processes is a time consuming task. Over half of all initial applications submitted by the MRI centers are rejected. Several factors lead to the failures of the applications, including problems with imager performance, the choice of imaging parameters that are inappropriate for the anatomy or the imaging unit's field strength, and failure to follow the ACR's precise instructions for positioning and imaging the ACR test phantom. Accreditation activities distract the site personnel from pursuing the business of the site—which is to efficiently process patients. Consequently, it may be advantageous for an MRI site to contract this accreditation work to a third party, especially when the facility operates more than one imaging unit and/or has multiple physicians and other personnel. However, to satisfy the ACR requirements, the contractors would have to be at the MRI facility daily.
Therefore, what is needed are methods and systems for monitoring the accreditation process of a remote imaging facility. In particular, what is needed are methods for monitoring an MRI facility for its compliance with ACR accreditation requirements.